A variety of fast food items have become extremely popular with consumers through the years. Perhaps one of the most pervasive and popular fast food items is the food item generally known as "french fried potatoes" or more simply "french fries". French fries are provided in a variety of shapes and sizes in accordance with consumers preferences. However, all generally provide a potato usually cut into long thin segments which is deep fried to a golden brown color and salted and served. Children's toys often are fabricated to mimic or imitate food preparation activities. Thus, a wide variety of simulated food processors and cooking apparatus have been provided by practitioners in the art in attempting to meet the demand for such products and play activities by the consumer. For example, U.S. Pat. Des. 183,650 issued to Gaston sets forth a CHILD'S TOY having a horizontal base and vertically extending support member which in turn supports a simulated food hopper having an elongated auger extending through the bottom portion thereof. The auger is coupled to a hand crank. The child user turns the hand crank to provide visual and auditory responses of the simulated food processor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,147 issued to Baker, et al. sets forth a TOY FRYING PAN for simulating actual frying of bacon or similar foods. The frying pan includes a noise maker comprising a roughened surfaced formed by outwardly extending filaments or the like on a movable member. The movable member rubs against fixed flexible fins supported within the simulated frying pan to produce the frying and popping sound of cooking food.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,909 issued to Holahan, et al. sets forth a TOY FOOD PROCESSOR having a base member supporting a simulated food processor bowl within which a rotatable simulated slicing cutter is supported. A hand crank drive mechanism is operatively coupled to the rotatable simulated cutter and provides rotation thereof within the food processor bowl. A plurality of simulated food articles formed of stacked arrays of simulated food slices are received within the food processor bowl and separated from the remainder of the food article slices as the simulated cutter is rotated to provide the appearance of food slicing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,730 issued to Cooper, et al. sets forth a TOY OVEN having a simulated oven with movable trays supported therein. Food articles in a malleable state are positioned within the simulated oven and are altered in appearance by compressible telescopic mold members which extend downwardly into the oven cavity and alter the appearance of the food articles to imitate the cooking process.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,717 issued to Glass, et al. set forth a TOY COOKING UTENSIL WITH SOUNDING MEANS having a simulated frying pan defining a simulated cooking surface. A noise producing apparatus is operable within the simulated frying pan to provide sound effects which replicate the sound of frying food articles.
In addition to toy articles, practitioners in the art have provided other types of food processors. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,791 issued to Jongerius sets forth a BREAD SLICING MACHINE having a frame receiving a to-be-sliced loaf of bread. The frame supports first and second drums rotatably coupled to the frame and aligned in a vertical plane. An endless slicing band having cutting edges is passed around the first and second drums to form a figure eight and provide slicing of the loaf of bread as it is passed therethrough.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,348 issued to Foate sets forth a TODDLER MEAL PROCESSOR comprising a cutting implement for subdividing sandwiches into small child size pieces. The cutting implement includes a circular frame having a plurality of parallel cutting blades supported therein. U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,017 issued to Akrenius sets forth a MEAT CUTTING DEVICE having a feeding chute inclined toward a blade assembly. The blade assembly includes a plurality of disk-like cutting blades for cutting the food article as it passes through the cutting blades under the influence of gravity and blade rotation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,435 issued to Pistorius, et al. sets forth a POCKET PAPER SHREDDER having a housing defining a paper entrance slot and a pair of shredding rollers together with drive means operable thereon. One of the shredding rollers includes an array of thin circular cutting knives axially spaced on the roller.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,215 issued to Mantelet sets forth a MANUALLY OPERATED FOOD CHOPPER having a horizontal rotatable shaft supporting a plurality of chopper blades in an axially spaced arrangement. A handle is coupled to the shaft to provide rotation thereof. A cradle surrounds the chopper blades and is supported within an upwardly opening hopper.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,129 issued to Scarborough sets forth a BARBECUED MEAT CUTTING MACHINE for slicing and chipping barbecued meat includes a framework supporting a plurality of spaced vertical rotating circular blades on a horizontal shaft. A second rotating shaft supports a second plurality of sharp blades which rotate between the circular blades to cut the slices into chips.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,586,823 issued to Huhn sets forth a HAND DIE having a generally rectangular framework supporting an upwardly extending handle and a plurality of cutting blades. The hand die is similar to a cookie cutter or the like and produces different shaped articles by forcing the blades downwardly against the food item.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,499,309 issued to Harris sets forth a PASTY CUTTER having a cup-shaped housing defining a cutting edge and supporting an upwardly extending handle. The pastry cutter is operated by forcing it down upon the food article to cut the food article to a shape corresponding to the outer edge of the cutter.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,084,921 issued to Skliris sets forth a SLICING MACHINE having a frame supporting a pair of rotating shafts one of which defines thin circular cutting blades while the other defines a roller having circular grooves therein spaced in correspondence to the circular blades of the other roller. A crank mechanism is provided which causes the rollers to turn in opposite directions and cut the food articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 385,234 issued to Bon sets forth a MACHINE FOR CUTTING SUGAR CANE having an elongated frame supporting a cane receiving hopper and a pair of oppositely rotating horizontal shafts. A plurality of cutting blades are supported on each shaft and operate to cut the sugar cane received within the hopper.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have enjoyed some measures of success, there remains a continuing need in the art for evermore interesting children's toys which simulate the preparation of food articles.